Dialog, a private network co-founded by Peter Thiel and data broker Auren Hoffman, operates as an exclusive club that ranks its members based on wealth and fame. Leaked internal documents revealed that Dialog assesses its members and event attendees using a tiered grading system characterized by letters (A, B, and C), evaluating both their financial status and public recognition.
The leaked files, sourced by WIRED, disclose personal information of nearly 200 individuals who are set to attend a Dialog retreat this summer, including addresses, contact details, and even political affiliations. This data set complements a more general public list of individuals associated with Dialog, which includes not just members but also past speakers and guests.
Dialog has been operational since 2006 and primarily invites politicians, investors, academia, and journalists to partake in off-the-record retreats. It operates under the banner of fostering innovative discussions across various fields, listing over 1,000 paying members and hosting thousands of individuals over the years.
Before joining, individuals are preemptively assigned grades; of those reviewed, 130 belong to current members while the rest are new prospective members. Most attendees receive ‘B’ ratings, with only a select few earning the coveted ‘C’ grade, assigned to those of significant fame and influence. Some examples include actor Josh Brolin, whose celebrity status secured him as a VIP, while well-known economist Tyler Cowen was initially pegged as less recognizable by Dialog’s AI assessments.
The grading system isn’t just theoretical; it influences event seating arrangements and can lead to disinvitation based on a member’s perceived value to discussions or cultural fit. Wealth and recognition play a central role, with some attendees classified by their assets under management and others scrutinized for their prominence in public life.
Additionally, the records reveal that Dialog employs an algorithm both to evaluate member standings and to facilitate networking — even including a matchmaking system for potential romantic connections among the members. Staff notes indicated systematic assessments of political leanings which occasionally differed from members’ self-descriptions.
Despite claims of nonpartisanship, the data analysis exhibited that members identifying as left-leaning were less likely to be graded as ‘C’ compared to their right-leaning counterparts. These revelations provide a glimpse into how Dialog functions not only as a private elite club but also as an organization intertwined with complex social structures, heavily influenced by financial and fame metrics.
